A Look Inside the Montrose County School Board Meeting RE-1J

by Jason Conant

After reading stories and watching videos about recent Montrose County School District RE-1J Board meetings, I decided it was time to attend one myself and see firsthand what was actually taking place.



What I witnessed was considerably different from some of what I had seen portrayed on social media and elsewhere.

I went into the meeting wanting to look at two things: how the School Board and citizens conducted themselves, and the issues being discussed. I also want to make an important distinction throughout this article between what I personally observed, what is a matter of public record, and what is simply my opinion.

What I Witnessed

The meeting began promptly at 6:30 p.m. with the normal proceedings: call to order, Pledge of Allegiance, moment of silence and approval of the agenda. The board moved through these items quickly and efficiently.

One of the highlights for me was seeing the Montrose and Olathe FFA students speak about their accomplishments at the fair during the student, staff and community recognition portion of the meeting. It was great to see young people being recognized for their hard work and accomplishments.

The board then moved into the President’s Report and continued working through the agenda.

Toward the end of the report, Board President Neisha Balleck, with clarification from Laurie Laird, discussed the number of CORA requests the district has been receiving.

For those unfamiliar with CORA, it stands for the Colorado Open Records Act. It gives the public the right to request access to many records maintained by public entities, including school districts.

According to my notes from the meeting, district officials stated that they had received approximately 65 CORA requests this year and indicated that this was roughly twice the number received during the entire previous year. They explained that processing the requests had become overwhelming and extremely time-consuming, while acknowledging that responding to lawful records requests is part of the district’s responsibility.

That immediately made me wonder: Why have there been so many more requests this year?

Stay with me, because later in the meeting I felt I got at least part of my answer.

The meeting continued with the superintendent’s update. Dr. Jessica Kalb addressed agenda items professionally, while Ms. Imus presented financial and enrollment information.

Then came community input.

This portion of the meeting gives citizens an opportunity to address the board within an allotted amount of time.

As many people know, the newly elected board previously authorized an outside investigation involving Superintendent Dr. Carrie Stephenson. On August 24, the board voted 7-0 to offer her an employment separation, resignation and release agreement and authorized the board president to execute the final agreement if accepted within the approved terms.

The underlying investigative material has not been publicly released.

I want to be careful here: I do not know everything contained in that investigation, and I am not going to pretend that I do. There may be legal, personnel or privacy considerations affecting what can be released. While I support transparency in government, I also recognize that personnel matters can involve information that cannot simply be made public.

Then Came Public Comment

It quickly became evident that some members of the community were unhappy with the board’s actions regarding the superintendent—and, more broadly, with several decisions made since the current board took office.

Some speakers strongly criticized the board. A few speakers also discussed their involvement with CORA requests.

At that point, I started having a déjà vu moment from the Montrose City Council meeting I attended the week before.

I was beginning to see what I viewed as a similar pattern: elected officials making decisions, citizens from the other side strongly disagreeing with those decisions, and public meetings becoming the place where those frustrations are expressed. I also recognize that these are the same people that sat on their hands silently during the previous administration and will voice displeasure with every move this newly elected board makes.

Let me be clear about something: I strongly support freedom of speech and the public’s right to criticize government.

Citizens absolutely have the right to disagree with elected officials, request public records, ask difficult questions and demand accountability. Those rights belong to everyone, regardless of political beliefs.

But just as I said after attending the City Council meeting, having the right to say something does not automatically make what is said factual, respectful, productive or beyond criticism.

From where I sat, board members handled the criticism professionally and allowed speakers the opportunity to express their concerns.

That does not mean everyone has to agree with the board. It simply means disagreement can happen without turning every public meeting into a battle between opposing sides.

My Takeaway

After attending the meeting myself, my personal impression was considerably different from some of the portrayals I had previously encountered.

What I personally witnessed was a board working through its agenda, recognizing students, discussing district business, reviewing finances and enrollment, hearing from administrators and allowing members of the public to voice criticism.

My opinion after watching the meeting is that the board members conducted themselves professionally.

I also believe accountability and transparency should apply regardless of who holds office. When legitimate concerns arise, elected boards have a responsibility to ask questions, investigate when appropriate and make decisions based on the information available to them. They are in deed doing this regardless of what one side or the other accuses them of.

At the same time, citizens have every right to question those decisions and demand answers. That is part of representative government. But be careful because you might not like the answer you get.

Where I think we get into trouble is when everything becomes about "our side" versus "their side." When our preferred people are in office, we defend them. When the other side is elected, suddenly every decision becomes suspicious. That mentality does not help our schools, our teachers or, most importantly, our children and this is clearly happening and has and will continue to happen as history repeats itself.

I have already heard opposition and speculation about who might eventually be selected as the next superintendent—even though that selection has not yet been made. The other side will scream and yell that they are not fit for the job. Merely not fit because it's not their choice.  I would encourage everyone, regardless of where they stand politically, to judge that person on his or her qualifications and performance rather than assumptions about who participated in the selection.

I want to thank all seven members of the Montrose County School District RE-1J Board of Education for serving their community. They are going to make decisions some people support and other people strongly oppose. That comes with public service.

We should continue asking questions. We should continue demanding accountability. We should continue using our right to speak.

But we should also remember why the School Board exists in the first place.

Our children.

When the yelling, politics and disagreements are stripped away, providing the best possible education and opportunities for the children of Montrose and Olathe should be something all of us can agree on.

I also believe we need more parents and community members to get involved and attend these meetings. Too often, it seems like the majority of people who show up are those who oppose what the board is doing. There is nothing wrong with disagreement—that is part of the process—but those who support the direction of our elected officials need to show up too.

Get involved. Listen. Ask questions. Learn the facts firsthand and respectfully voice your opinion. Our schools and our community belong to all of us, and if we want a voice in their direction, we need to be present, informed, and engaged.